Operatives of the Anambra State Police Command have apprehended two individuals for staging a fake kidnapping scheme intended to defraud a family of millions of naira.
The suspects — 28-year-old Chinecherem Nwaokoye, a student at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), and her alleged accomplice, 30-year-old Chinecherem Aronu — were tracked and arrested by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) following a tip-off and thorough intelligence gathering.
According to the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the incident began on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, when Nwaokoye’s relatives reported her missing. They said she was last heard from while returning from school but failed to reach home. Multiple attempts to contact her by phone were unsuccessful, as her number remained unreachable.
Things took a dramatic turn the following day, July 9, when the family received a distressing call from a man claiming to be her abductor. He demanded a ransom of N10 million for her release.
Police investigations revealed that after intense back-and-forth, the ransom was negotiated down to N3 million, with the family eventually making an initial payment of N1 million—ironically paid into the supposed victim’s own bank account.
Acting swiftly, law enforcement agents tracked the transaction and traced the suspects to a guest lodge near the UNIZIK Temporary Site in Awka. There, officers found Nwaokoye alive and well — in the company of Aronu.
Under questioning, both individuals confessed to fabricating the abduction. The police said Nwaokoye admitted she came up with the plan after watching a movie and was motivated by a desire to help her boyfriend start a business with the money.
In a statement, the command noted, “Upon interrogation, the duo confessed to staging the kidnapping as a means to extort the family. The female suspect, Chinecherem Nwaokoye, admitted to being the mastermind, drawing inspiration from a film, and planned to hand over the funds to her boyfriend to kickstart a business venture.”
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has since directed that the suspects be prosecuted without delay. He condemned the act, calling it a disturbing reflection of moral decline among young people. Ikenga quoted the CP as issuing a stern warning that the police will not condone “criminal acts rooted in deception.”
This case adds to a growing list of similar incidents where young Nigerians fake abductions in attempts to fleece family members. Earlier in March 2024, a 19-year-old girl in Lagos staged her own kidnapping to pressure her parents into sponsoring her overseas trip.
Likewise, in August 2023, police in Delta State arrested two siblings who faked the kidnapping of their cousin in an unsuccessful attempt to collect and share ransom money.
Security analysts have continued to voice concerns that movies and social media content, which often romanticize crime, combined with economic hardship and lack of proper parental guidance, are fueling the surge in such fake abduction cases among the youth.
The Anambra State Police Command urged residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity promptly. The command also assured the public of its commitment to tackling emerging crime trends through intelligence-based operations.
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